THE FOX-TERRIER. 83 
John Walker of Wrexham, to whom I have already alluded, and 
Mr. Cornelius Tongue (“Cecil”), impressed upon the Birmingham 
Committee the importance of the breed, and ever since that time 
it has been growing into the notice both of the promoters of our 
shows and of the general public, so that it is by no means un- 
common to find the fox-terrier classes making up a fifth or even 
@ quarter of a whole show in point of numbers, and drawing to 
their benches fully one-half of the spectators. 
As this breed thus crept into the favour of the public from a 
state of obscurity, it was to be expected that opinions on its size 
and shape should vary according to the point of view from which 
it was examined. Thus the hunting man said, “I must have a: 
dog small enough to enter an earth; not too savage, because I 
want him to bark rather than to bite, for foxes are too precious 
in my eyes to be killed under ground. My limit in point of 
weight is therefore 16 lbs.” “Oh!” says the young Oxonian in 
reply, “I don’t want anything of the kind. What I require is a 
dog which will follow me on horseback, if I desire a companion in 
my rides, without being outpaced, and will hunt rabbits for me all 
day long. My dog should be 20 Ibs. at least.” Now, who is to 
decide between these two fox-terrier fancies? The hunting man 
says, “‘ Well and good! I don’t object to your dog, but he should 
not be called a fox-terrier ;” and here I think he has his opponent 
hard and fast, for, as the controversy is always in reference to 
show prizes, the definition of the class in question is always for 
“‘fox-terriers.” Still, irrespective of the question of prizes, it is 
clear that the fox-terrier of the present day is more frequently 
required as a companion than as a persecutor of foxes; and if he 
is to go beyond the duties of the companion, and is required to 
hunt, his game is far more frequently the rabbit than the fox; and 
a dog of 20 lbs. is not too large for that purpose, nor is the beagle 
cross objectionable, if it really exists. The fanciers of this dog 
should first agree as to his duties, and then it will be time to settle 
his size and other qualities; but til] then, unless an absurd stress 
is placed on the prefix “fox,” the promoters of our shows will do 
well to have. two or even three classes, in which the weight is 
made to fix the limits of each, 
Having adverted to this much-vexed question, it now only 
